Edmonton Oilers’ centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is always learning on the fly, which is what you do when you are 20. He plays against the big boys like Jumbo Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar and Ryan Getzlaf, maybe the abrasive David Backes, too, in the Western precincts of the NHL and it’s a nightly education. He’s smaller than them which creates problems, obviously.

But, a truer measure of where RNH is at, in, this his third NHL season, is how he stacks up against Jonathan Toews, the premier two-way centre in the game. He’ll see the Chicago captain a lot Monday night at Rexall Place. Not only will Nugent-Hopkins have his hands full on face-offs against the guy Oilers’ teammate Boyd Gordon (third best in the league) says is his toughest foe–Toews is fifth-best at 57.8 while Nugent-Hopkins is 40.7 percent–but he’ll also see Toews’ 200-foot game, to use the parlance of today.

It’ll be a seminar on how to play the game at both ends, something RNH is looking forward to.What can Nugent-Hopkins learn from Toews, who’ll be the 1a centre to No. 1 Sidney Crosby for Canada at the Olympics?

“I like the way Toews battles in all areas of the game. He’s got so much talent offensively but he’s so good defensively. You can definitely tell he’s the leader out there,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “I like the opportunity to play against him, actually. It’s a challenge, for sure, but I’ve enjoyed it.”

“Toews is a responsible centre who takes care of his zone first, and the offence comes from that. Most of the best centremen in the league are known for that. I really want to be known as a two-way centreman, and, for sure, I have to keep working on the defensive part of things,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who is minus 10 to Toews’s plus eight.

Going against Toews and the rest in the West is RNH’s cross to bear, of course. When you are the No. 1 centre on the Oilers, there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing the top guns on the other team, also the other team’s best defenceman (he’ll see Duncan Keith a lot Monday, as well). This is night after night, which can cut back on your offence, but it’s all part of learning.

RNH does not want to be a one-trick offensive pony. “Thornton, Toews and the other guys are obviously really talented offensively but they play a very good defensive game too. They’re all pretty big (Toews is 6’2″, 208, good height but not as heavy as Getzlaf, Thornton or Kopitar),” he said.

“I really like (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg, the way they play too. They’re not big guys but they play big games. They don’t shy away from the tough stuff,” said Nugent-Hopkins.

Oilers’ coach Dallas Eakins agrees whole-heartedly that Toews is a great role-model for RNH.

“All business, all the time, that’s what I love about that kid (Toews),” said Eakins. “You never see him take a shift off. This is his job and he’s serious about his job. He’s a good guy for Nuge to look to, to get his game to that level, especially defensively.”

He knows Nugent-Hopkins is learning as he goes. He’s only played 124 NHL games.

“If he’s going to be our No. 1 centre he better get used to it (playing against the other big boys),” said Eakins. “If we play the protection game every night with him (going with say a better checker like Gordon against Toews and company), how is he going to get any better? It’s my call in-game.”

Nugent-Hopkins is only 185 pounds but he can take care of himself. “He’s quietly good with his stick and he’s quite good with his mouth. He doesn’t get intimidated. As he grows and gets some old-man strength, that’ll help every aspect of his game,” said Eakins.

Last year Nugent-Hopkins’ stats were down (four goals, 24 points in 40 games) because he was spending so much time checking the big guns. Also his shoulder wasn’t good, before he had surgery. “I was shooting muffins,” he said.

“Your job is to go and play. We want offence and we want defence. That’s the challenge of being a hockey player. If you are one-dimensional, you are toast in this league. Or at least you are for me. This game has evolved into the catch-phrase ‘he’s a 200-foot player;’ and that’s what it is,” said Eakins. “Nuge’s mind-set has to be two-fold out there. We’re looking for offence from his line but he can’t cheat (when he doesn’t have the puck). He’s getting better at it.”

Eakins says it starts on the draws for all the centres, but especially Nugent-Hopkins. “If you’re going to be a No. 1 centre in this league, you have to be a stud in the face-off circle. He’s working on it, but it takes time. You can’t flick a switch on it.”

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